1. Technical Field
This disclosure relates to packet switches for network systems, including packet switches which switch optical packets.
2. Description of Related Art
Packet switches commonly receive streams of packets on several different input ports and route each to an output port based at least in part on information specified in the header for the packet.
Packets designated for the same output port sometimes arrive on different input ports at the same time or at least at overlapping times. Random-access buffers are commonly used to temporarily hold one or more of these packets so that they can be later delivered to the output port without overlap.
Very high speed networks, however, may use optical packets. i.e., information that is communicated by modulated light. As of yet, random-access buffers which can buffer optical packets are not believed to exist. Although optical packets can be converted to electronic packets and then buffered by random-access buffers, this can slow down the routing of the optical packets substantially. Without buffers, moreover, optical packet switches have generally not been able to achieve the same level of throughput performance as electronic ones.